Wire printer mechanism



R. B. JOHNSON ETAL 2,841,077

WIRE PRINTER MECHANISM July 1, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 7, 1953 INVENTORS REYNOLD B. JOHNSON FRED G. WOLFF BY ORNEY y 1958 R. B. JOHNSON ETAL 2,841,077

WIRE PRINTER MECHANISM Filed Dec. 7, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N! 'E N TORS REYNOLD B.JOHNSON FRED G. WOLFF BY ZORNEY -United States Patent WIRE PRINTER MECHANISM Reynold B. Johnson, Palo Alto, Calif., and Fred G. Woltr, Endwell, N. Y., assignors to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 7, 1953, Serial No. 396,716

25 Claims. 01. 101-93 This invention relates to Wire printers and more particularly to wire printers of the type disclosed in the copending U. 3. application of Reynold B. Johnson, filed October 7, 1953, as Serial No. 384,697, now U. S. Patent No. 2,785,627, and to which reference may be had if desired. In the type of wire printer referred to therein, the print wires, which are at all times yieldably restrained against longitudinal displacement, are preset by movement of a wire setting device against theirother or control ends and thereafter have their print ends moved against a recording material backed up by a platen by a print head carrying the adjacent ends of curved tubes in which the wires are slidably disposed.

In accounting machines, such as tabulators and calculators, listings are prepared and computations are performed at a very rapid rate. The capacity of such accounting machines is not limited by the speed at which the listings may be supplied or computations may be carried out, but rather by the speed at which the output of such machines may be recorded.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a wire printing machine of the type mentioned which will operate at a very high speed. Specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a wire printer of the type mentioned that may be operated at speeds in the order of from three thousand to eight thousand five hundred or more cycles per minute.

A further object of theinvention is to provide a drive mechanism which will operate wire printers at the requisite speeds.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a high speed wire printer wherein the impact noises are reduced to a minimum.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a printer that is simple andeasy of construction and yet accurate and reliable in operation.

According to the invention provision is made for effecting very rapid reciprocation of the print head, thus diminishing the amount of time that must be devoted in each cycle to the printing stroke and, hence, the length of the cycle. One or more curved tubes are attached at one end to a framesupporting the print head, and the projecting ends of wires snugly yet slidably received in the tubes are fixed to the print head. The other ends of the tubes and wires are attached to drop-off cam followers which at an appropriate time in the cycle act first to move the other ends of the curved tubes so as to straighten them while holding the other ends of the wires still. The straightening of the tubes results in, a reduction in the radius of curvature of the encompassed wires also, and since the other ends of the wires are being held against movement, the ends of the wires attached to the print head are forced out of the tube to cause a print stroke on the part of the print head. The platen is so located that the print ends undergoimpacttherewith near the point of maximum velocity. a

Quietness in the operation of the printer is achieved by starting movement of the other ends of the wires beforestraightening movement of the tubes is completed and preferably at the point of impact. This results in a gradual slowing down of the print head and eventual reversal of the print head motion. Continued movement of the other ends of the wires results in full restoration of the print head. Thereafter, the cam followers are restored substantiallyin unison so as not to disturb appreciably the print head in its restored position.

A feature of the invention is that an additional time economy and simplified construction of the printer are obtained by operation of the print head in the above described manner. In the high speed operation'of the printer, the preset print wires strike the recording material backed up by a platen with such force that they rebound to their normal positions. Thus there is no need for a preset wire restoring mechanism or the time usually devoted in a cycle to such restoration. This rebound action of the wire print ends is enhanced by the continued movement of the print head beyond impact which insures a rearward motion to the preset print wires, the inertia thereof restoring them fully.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be pointed out in the following description and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose, by way of example, the principle of the invention and the best mode, which has been contemplated, of applying that principle.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a somewhat diagrammatic illustration of an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detailed view of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. l and of operating mechanism therefor.

Fig. 3. is a further enlarged view of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of another portionof the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a right hand end view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 66 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is'a chart depicting the timing of various components of the inventive embodiment.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 1, the wire printer is shown as including therein a print head 10 which is slidably supported by a frame 12 for movement toward and away from a platen 14 secured upon a base 13. The print head 10 confines into a rectangular cluster the ends of a number of tubes 15 from which project the print ends of print wires 16 slidably mounted therein. The print wire tubes extend away from the lower end of the print head to where they fan out in broad sweeping curves and are attached at their other endsto one edge of a guide housing 18 fixed upon the base 13. The print wires extend through the guide housing to where they are sli-dably received inahousing '19 carried by a wire setting device, generally indicated by the numeral 20, and in which they normally terminate along a common line. The curvative of the tubes is such that the print head may readily move the ends thereof toward and away from the platen. v p

Also connected to the print head are two drive wires 22 which extend away from the print head through the lower end of the print head frame and down and along each side of the print wire tubes in a curved path to where they are pivotally connected through a block slider 24 to a cam follower 26. Two drive wires are employed to permit application of balanced forces to the print head, though one such wire would sufiice. The wires 22 are snugly received'in flexible tubes 28 which are fixedat 3 one end to the print head frame 12 and are connected at their other ends through a block slider 30 to a second cam follower 32. The cam followers 26 and 32 are shown as being biased against a double lobed cam 34, but it will be appreciated that separate single lobed cams may readily be substituted to operate on respective cam followers in place of the double lobed cam. The rotation of the cam, of course, is synchronized with the operation of the wire setting device so that cyclical op-.

eration of the printer is obtained. 7

Referring more particularly to Fig. 2, the wire guide housing 18 and wire setting device 20 shown in some detail therein are similar to those disclosed in the copending application hereinbefore referred to. The wire guide housing comprises an assembly formed of two parts, a front plate 18a and a rear plate 18b (Fig. 3).

The abutting surfaces of the plates are suitably grooved as at 36 so that the housing is formed with a plurality or transversely extending channels which snugly yet slidably vreceive the respective print wires 16. The curved tubes for the print wires are attached to one edge of the guide housing by being formed with flanges 35 which are received in corresponding annular grooves formed about the transversely extending channels in the guide housing.

The guide housing is also formed with an elongated slot 37 to permit the attachment of the collars 39 to each The slot 37 and the collars 39 are trol mechanism therefor, which are mounted on a frame 40 reciprocable upon the base 13 toward and away from the control ends of the print wires 16. The control rod is mounted in the housing 19 that is formed with a plurality of Wire channels 44 (Fig. 3) that are aligned respectively with the adjacent ends of the wire guide housing channels. The ends of the print wires terminate in these channels which accurately confine them for action by specific areas of the control rod.

The control rod is provided with transversely cut notches 46. From a consideration of Fig. 3, it can be seen that if the control rod and housing are moved toward the control ends of the print wires," those wires which enter notches formed in the control rod will undergo relatively less longitudinal displacement than those for which no notch is provided. In practice the bar 38 is moved just far enough to insure that those wire ends for which notches have been provided enter the full length thereof. Of course, those wire ends for which no notches have been provided will have been displaced longitudinally with respect to the remainder of the print wires by a distance equal to the depth of the notches. It will be seen that by providing a suitable combination of notches on the control rod, any character pattern within the limits of the group of print wires can be created.

It will also be well to observe thatthe print wires may also be set by moving them toward the control rod. How this may be accomplished with the instrumentalities herein disclosed will be explained later.

In order to enablecne code rod to provide for the setting up of any one of a large number of characters, it may be rotated and translated so as to present the requisite number of different combinations of notches 46 to the control ends of the print wires. As shown in the copending application, a control rod may be formed with a group of notches cut transversely on each of 4 four sides. Thus by rotating the rod in increments of 90, four individual groups of notches may be presented toward the control ends of the print wires. If now in addition provision is made for shifting the rod longitudinally in increments, the spaces on the control rod between the ends of adjacent print Wires may be provided with patterns of notches. It will now be evident that the number of different character patterns which may be obtained from the control rod is equal to the product of the number of such longitudinally differentiatcd incremental or index positions and the number of sides which have been provided with notches and to which the control rod is rotatable. Thus, if twelve longitudinally differentiated index point positions are provided on the rod having notches on four sides, forty-eight different character patterns may be formed on the print wires.

As is also shown in the copending application, supra, the adjustment of a'control rod 38 to any of forty-eight different positions may be obtained through the action of six selectively energizable magnets A, B, C, D, E, and F upon two differential adding linkages operable by a bail 48. One pair of magnets E and F controls one differential adding linkage which through a pull crank 50 and two racks 52 and 54 rotates the code rod'to one of its four rotary positions upon operation of the bail 48. The other four magnets A, B, C, and D control the other differential adding linkage which through three adding levers 46, 58, and shifts the code bar 38 longitudinally to one of its twelve longitudinal index point positions upon operation of the bail 43.

The frame 40 on which the code bar housing 42 is supported is provided with slots 62 which are slidably received on guide studs 64 fixed upon the base 13 of the printer. These guide studs support the code bar housing frame for translation toward and away from the wire guide. The movement is obtained through a cam 66 which operates upon the frame 40 to shift it against the action of a restoring spring 68.

In Figs. 4 and 5 there are shown the details of construction of the print head 10 and the frame 12 in which it is slidably mounted. The print head 10 is formed as an elongated piece of material which is prevented from rotating about its longitudinal axis in the frame by being made rectangularly in cross section. Along one side of the print head there has been cut a rectangular groove 70 which extends the full length of the print head. The tubes 15 are disposed in this groove so that the print ends of the respective wires 16 projecting therefrom are properly oriented with respect to the code rod patterns.

As has been pointed out, the print head confines the tubes 15 with such lateral force as to prevent endwise movement thereof relative'to the print head. To this end a block 72 is mounted in the longitudinally extending groove 70 in the print head and is adjustable inwardly -vided at each end, of the print head, includes a transverse groove 74 formed'in the outer surface of the block 72. Adjacent aligned portions of the print head 10 are cut out as at 76 and 78. Extending across the groove 74 'and'into each of the openings 76 and 78 is a fiat bar 80. It can now be seen that, when the bar 80 is in place,

longitudinal displacement of the block 72 relative to the print head 10 is prevented. The compression necessary to hold the tubes against endwise displacement is obtained by adjustment of two screws 82 extending through openings formed in each.of the bars 80 and threadedly received in corresponding apertures formed in the block .72. Thescrews 82 are countersunk in the bar .80.

The print head frame 12 is formed with 'an elongated opening so designed as to snugly, but slidably, receive the print head. It is of such length that the head may be withdrawn within its confines. At one end the frame may be provided with a pair of laterally extending lugs 84 to enable the fixing thereof relative to the platen as by the insertion of bolts (not shown) through the apertures 86 formed therein and into threaded openings formed in the platen 14. The lugs 84 also extend beyond the end of the frame so as to hold the end of the frame 12 in spaced relation to the platen, thus providing a passageway for the ribbon and a recording material such as a tape.

The other or lower end of the print head frame is formed with a separable part 88 having an opening 90 generally concentric with the opening in the remainder of the frame. The opening 90 in the part 88 is of a slightly reduced diameter so as to prevent the print head from falling out as during assembly and disassembly; however, it is sufficiently large to permit the tubes 15 to pass therethrough freely. The interior portions of the separable part, which lie in the path of the print head '10 and circumscribe the opening 90, have been provided with a pair of diagonal opposite grooves 92. These grooves 92 are of such depth that thedrive wires 22, by which the print head is moved toward and away from the platen, may extend longitudinally away from the print head. These grooves 92 are aligned with corresponding openings 94 formed in the adjacent end of the print head on opposite sides of the groove 70 therein and in which the respective drive wires 22 extend and are secured to the print head by any suitable way such as by welding.

The tubes 28 for the drive wires 22 are fixed at one end as has been pointed out. Conveniently, they are secured in the grooves 92 about the inner edges of the opening 90 in the separable part 88 of the frame 12 as by making the grooves of approximately the same width as a the external diameter of the tubing and by welding. In

this manner the tubes 28 may be located as near to the print head as is possible without interfering with the movement of the print head 10, thus reducing to a minimum the possibility for lateral deflection on the projecting parts of the drive wires 22.

It will be recalled that adjacent the print head frame 12, the tubes 28 and wires 22 therein are disposed on opposite sides of the wire guide. They extend from the print head frame, in a broad sweeping curve (see Fig. l) to where their other ends are mounted for controlled endwise displacement. The other ends of the tubes are fixed to a slider 30 which is reciprocable in a set of guides 96. The other ends of the wires extend freely through the tube sliders to where they are connected to an aligned slider 24 also reciprocable in the set of guides 96.

The tube slider 30 is reciprocated by the pivoted cam follower 32 to which it is pivotally and slidably connected by a pin 98 fixed to the slider 30 and movably located in a slot 100 formed in the follower 32. The follower 32 is pivoted at one end on a stud 102 fixed to one side of a supporting frame 104. The tube follower is mounted so that when it drops off a high point on the double lobed cam 34, the tube slider 30 will be moved in a direction effecting endwise displacement of the associated tube ends and consequently a straightening or reduction of curvature of the tubes. To this end the rotatable cam is disposed so as to control clockwise movement of the tube follower as seen in Fig. 1, and a compression spring 106 is employed to urge the tube follower 32 against the cam. The tube follower engages the cam at an intermediate point through a roller 108.

The compression spring 106 is of a strength sufiicient to effect a straightening of the tubes. It is supported against displacement relative to the tube follower in a hole 109 formed in a bracket 110 attached to the supporting frame 104 (Figs. land 6). For varying the force exerted. on the tube follower and hence the action of the tube, a movable disk 112 is mounted in the inner end of the hole 109 and the spring reacts against it. The location of the disk 112 and hence the compression of the spring is adjusted by a set screw 114 having a locknut 116.

The wire slider 24 is driven by the cam follower 26 pivoted at an intermediate point on a stud 118 fixed on one side of the supporting frame 104. The wire slider is pivotally and slidably connected with the follower by a pin 120 received in a slot 122 formed in one end of the wire drive cam follower 26. The other end of the wire follower is provided with a cam engaging roller 124. This end is biased toward the cam by a compression spring 126 which isrof such strength that when the follower drops ofi a high point of the cam it will effect endwise displacement of thewire slider withdrawing the drive wires 22 partially from their associated tubes 28. The spring 126 is held in place by a hole 128 in a bracket 130 fixed to the supporting frame 104. Like the spring 106 for the tube follower 32, it bears on a movable disk 132 adjustable by a set screw134 having a locknut 136.

As has been pointed out, the cam 34 is a common double lobed one. Thus the cam followers 26 and 32 will be operated once for each half revolution of the cam. The cam followers are offset from each other by more than as for example, by 198, so that the tube follower leads the wire follower, as by 18. Thus the tube follower is operated by one lobe of the double lobe cam before the wire follower is operated by the other lobe thereof. Hence, tubes will be straightened while the wire follower is still riding on the high dwell of the cam. This has the effect 'of holding the associated ends of the drive wires 22 fixed while the radius of curvature of the tubes is being reduced and results in a forcing of the ends of the drive wires fixed to the print head out of the fixed ends of the tubes and toward the platen. In this manner the ends of the previously set print wires forming the character pattern are moved to strike against the platen.

Changes in relative velocities of the tubes and drive wires are employed to stop and reverse the movement of the print head 10. Thus, the timing is such that the wire follower drops off a high point of the cam before the tube follower reaches the low point associated with the high point from which it dropped off. The slider 24 is thus moved to the left as seen in Fig. l and in turn moves the drive wires endwise 'so as to overcome the effect of the straightening out of the tubes and to stop the print head movement toward the platen and rapidly reverse it. The parts are so adjusted that the print head movement toward the platen is stopped after impact by the selected print wires but before any impact can be undergone by the remaining print wires. When the wire follower comes to a halt, which is after the tube follower has so done, the respective sliders will be in the same relative positions that they were in before they began biased movement. They are restored substantially in unison so that the print head remains in its normal or rearward position.

The operation of the improved wire printer which may be best understood by reference to the timing chart of Fig. 7 is as follows: The printer is, of course, cyclically operated. At the start of a cycle those print wires forming the character pattern have been longitudinally displaced in the direction of the platen. (Actually, this took place in the preceding cycle.) At zero time the tube follower 32 begins to drop oflf of a high point on the cam 34. This results in a straightening out of the tubes 28 which forces the ends of the drive wires 22 connected to the print head out of the fixed ends of the respective, tubes. The tube follower reaches its highest velocity at 18 of cycle time when the wire follower begins to drop off the other high point on the cam. At this point of maximum velocity of the print head toward the platen, impact occurs between :the Character forming print wires 16 and the platen 14. During the next 18 of cycle time the tube follower slows down and comes to a halt while the wire follower gains speed resulting in a slowing down and reversing of the print head movement. The travel of the print head toward the platen after the initial impact time imparts a rearward motion to the 'selected print wires, the inertia of which acts to restore them fully by the time that the print head is restored to its normal position. As is evident from the drawing, they may be actually restored before then; to all intents and purposes, they are restored by 36 of cycle time.

At about 27 of cycle time the velocity of the tube and wire followers is about equal and the print head movement toward the platen is stopped. Thereafter the increasing speed of the wire follower combined with the decreasing velocity of the tube follower results in the backward movement of the print head which is fully restored at 54 of cycle time. Thus the remaining 306 of cycle time may be devoted to a second setting of the print wires, it being remembered that no portion of the print cycle need be devoted to the restoration of the previously set print wires.

It will be observed that when a double lobed cam is used, the movement of the followers 26 and 32 is such that the tube follower leads the wire follower even during restoration to their normal positions. This results in a slight difference in their relative displacementsfrom that existing at of cycle time during the remainder of the cycle and gives the print head a proportionate rearward displacement. In the embodiment shown this motion is not needed; its presence is not harmful to performance. If separate cams were used for the tube and wire followers, they could be restored in unison with the print head remaining motionless in its rearward or normal position. It may be well to point out here that should it be desired to set up the print wires by moving them to the control rod rather than by moving the control wire toward them, the rearward print head motion induced through the use of the double lobed cam could be used to effect the necessary print wire displacement.

The resetting of the print wires is accomplished by the movement of the code bar housing 42 toward the now re-aligned control ends of the print wires 16. This may begin at 54 of cycle time and the setting up of the print wires may be completed at 144 of cycle time. The code bar housing movement, which is the result of the action of the cam 66 against the tension of the spring 68, restores in a similar amount of time; specifically 90 of cycle time, at which point 234 of cycle time have elapsed.

With the restoration of the code bar housing, readjustment of the code bar on the basis of information stored by the energization of magnets A, B, C, D, E, and F may begin. Thus the code bar set up bail 48 may begin operation upon the adding linkage at 234 of cycle time. Since the code rod housing 42 will not be moved against the control ends of the print wires again until 54 of cycle time have elapsed in the next print cycle, the movement of the code rod set up bail may occupy 180 of cycle time; thus the code bar 38 may be set up at 324 of cycle time and well before any possible interference could arise by reason of over-rebound of a selected print wire upon printing impact.

For the purpose of suspending the operating of the printer, alatch 138 under the control of a suitable magnet (not shown) may be provided. The latch may be biased, as a spring, to an inoperative position from which it is moved by energization of the magnet. The action of the magnet disposes a projection 140 of the latch in the path of a pin 142 fixed to the tube follower 32. In this way the follower is prevented from dropping off a high point of the cam and the tubes 28 will not be straightened to displace the print head 10. Operation of the wire follower 26 will merely result in further displace- 8 ment of the print head from the platen 14. If desired, a latch may also be provided to restrain its operation.

The use of this invention is not confined to embodiments in single printers; instead, banks of such printers may be employed to print simultaneously a plurality of characters, such as in the manner described in the hereinbefore referred to copending application. Nor is the use of this invention limited to recording with a transfer medium, such as a ribbon. Specifically, it may be employed to effect other processes such as embossing, punching, and stencil cutting. The term printing is deemed to cover these and other related processes for recording marks on a suitable substance.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus of the type in which a character is formed upon a paper or other recording material by relative movement between a platen supporting such paper or other recording material and the grouped ends of a plurality of wires upon which a character pattern is formed by selective displacement of such ends from a common plane, a plurality of wires, means for confining ends of said wires into a group and for restraining them against free endwise movement, guide means engaging said wires at intermediate points to prevent lateral deflection of the wires when their other ends are subjected to axial forces, character pattern forming means operable to apply axial forces upon the other ends of said wires to etfect selective displacement of said Wire grouped ends, and means for shifting said restraining means toward and away from a platen so as to record the character pattern formed on the grouped endsof the wires upon the paper or other recording material, said confining and restraining means being movable relative to the other ends of said wires.

2. In a printer of the type in which a character is formed upon a paper or other recording material by relative movement between a platen supporting such paper or other recording material and the grouped ends of a plurality of print wires upon which a character pattern is formed by selective displacement of such ends from a common plane, a plurality'of print wires, means confining one end of said plurality of wires into a group in which they are restrained against free endwise movement relative to said confining means, means supporting said confining means for movement toward and away from a platen, guide means engaging said wires at intermediate points to prevent lateral deflection of the wires when their other ends are subjected to axial forces, character pattern forming means operable to apply axial forces upon the other ends of said wires to effect selective displacement of said wires, a curved-fiexible-channeled member fixed at one end to the means supporting said confining means, means associated with the other end of said curved-flexible-channeled member to restrain movement of said other end to a longitudinal direction, means associated with said curved-flexible-channeled member to reduce the radius of curvature thereof, a flexible element in said curved-flexible-channeled member and attached at one end to said confining means, and means associated with the other end of said flexible element to prevent longitudinal displacement thereof while the radius of curvature of said curved-fiexible-channeled member is being reduced.

3. In a printer of the type in which a character is formed upon a paper or other recording material by relative movement between a platen supporting such paper or other recording material and the grouped ends of a plurality of print wires upon which a character pattern is formed by selective displacement of such ends from -a common plane, a plurality of print wires, means confining one end'of said plurality of wires into a group in which they are restrained against free endwise movement relative to said confining means, means supporting said confining means for movement toward and away from a platen, guide means engaging said wires at intermediate points to prevent lateral deflection of said wires when their other ends are subjected to axial forces, character pattern forming means operable to apply axial forces upon the other ends of saidwires to effect selective displacement of said wires, a, curved-flexible-channeled member fixed at one end to the means supporting said confining means, means connected to the other end of said curvedfiexible-channeled member to effect a longitudinal displacement thereof from a normal position straightening said channeled member and thereafter back to the normal position, a flexible element extending through said curved? flexible-channeled member and attached at one projecting end to said confining means, and means attached to the other projecting end of said flexible element for controlling the movement of that end.

4. In a printer of the type in which a character is formed upon a paper or other recording material by relative movement between a platen supporting such paper or other recording material and the grouped ends of a plurality of print wires upon which a character pattern is formed by selective displacement of such ends from a common plane, a plurality of print wires, meansconfining one end of said plurality of wires into a group in which they are restrained against free endwise movement relative to said confining means, means supporting said confining means for movement toward and away from a platen, guide means engaging said wires at intermediate points to prevent lateral deflection of said wires when their other ends are subjected to axial forces, character pattern forming means operable to apply axial forces upon the other ends of said wires to effect selective displace ment of said wires, a curved-flexible-channeled member fixed at one end to the means supporting said confining means, means connected to the other end of said curvedflexible-channeled member to effect a longitudinal displacement thereof from a normal position straightening said channeled member and thereafter back to the normal position, a flexible element extending through said curved-flexible-channeled member and attached at one projecting end to said confining means, and holding means attached to the other projecting end of said flexible element to prevent longitudinal displacement thereof While the channeled member is being straightened so that projecting end attached to the confining means is forced endwise out of the channeled member 5. In a printer of the type in which a character is formed upon a paper or other recording material by relative movement between a platen supporting such paper or other recording material and the grouped ends of a plurality of print wires upon which a character pattern is-formed by selective displacement of such ends from a common plane, a plurality of print wires, means confining one end of said plurality of wires intoa group in which they are restrained against free endwise movement relative to said confining means, means supporting said confining means formovement toward and away from a platen, guide means engaging said wires at intermediate points to prevent lateral deflection of said wires when their other ends are subjected to axial forces, character pattern forming means operable to apply axial forces upon the other ends of said wires to effect selective displacement of said wires, a curved-flexible-channeled member fixed at one end to the means supporting said confining means, means connected to the other end of said curvedflexible-channeled member to effect a longitudinal displacement thereof from a normal position straightening said channeled member and thereafter back to the normal position, a flexible element extending through said curved-flexible-channeled member and attached at one projecting end to said confining means, and means connected to the other projecting end of said flexible member to hold said projecting end initially against longitudinal displacement during the straightening of said channeled member and then to effect an endwise displacement thereof from a normal position and thereafter back to normal position. A v

6. In a printer of the type in which-a character is formed upon a paper or other recording material by relative movement between a platen supporting such paper or other recording material and the grouped ends of a plurality of print Wires upon which a character pattern is formed by selective displacement of such ends from a common plane, a plurality of print wires, means confining one end of said wires into a group in which they are restrained against free endwise movement relative to said v confining means, means supporting said confining means for movement toward and away from a platen,- guide means engaging said wires at intermediate points to prevent lateral deflection of said wires when their other ends are subjected to axial forces, character pattern forming means operable to apply axial forces upon the other ends of said wires to eifect'selective displacement of said wires, a curved-flexible element connected at one end to said confining means, means attached to the other end of said element for moving it longitudinally from and thenback to a normal position, a flexible-channeled member snugly encompassing said element and attached at one end to said confining means supporting means, and means attached to the other end of said member for moving it endwise from a normal position before the other end of the element is moved from its normal position and then back to a normal position generally in step with the movement of the other end of the element back to its normal position. I p 7. In a printer of the type in which a character is formed upon a paper or other recording material by relative movement between a platen supporting such paper or other recording material and the grouped ends of a plurality of print wires upon which a character pattern is formed by selective displacement of such ends from a common plane, a plurality of print wires, means confining one end of said wires into a group in which they are restrained against free endwise movement relative to said confining means, means supporting said confining means for movement" toward and away from a platen, guide means engaging said wires at intermediate points to prevent lateral deflection thereof, character pattern formQ ingmeansoperable upon the other ends of said wires to effect selective displacement of said wires, a curved flexible element connected at one end to said confining means, means attached to the other end of said element for moving it longitudinally from and then back to a normal position, a flexible-channeled member snugly encompassing said element'and attached at one end to said confining means supporting means, and means attached to the other end of said member for moving it longitudinally from and then back to a normal position, the movement of the other end of said channeled member from its normal position being effective to reduce the radius of curvature of said channeled member and of said element thus forcing the end of said element connected to the confining means out of said member so that the selected print wires undergo impact with said platen, the means attached to the other end of said element becoming operative to move it from its normal position at the impact time to stop and reverse the direction of movement of said confining means.

.8. In a printer of the type in which a character is formed upon a paper or other recording material by relative movement between a platen supporting such paper or other recording material and the grouped ends of a plurality of print wires upon which a character,

11 a pattern is formed by selective displacement of such ends from a common plane, a plurality of print wires, means confining the print ends of said wires into a group in which they are restrained against'free endwise movement relative to said confining means, means'supporting said confining means for movement toward and away from a platen, guide means engaging said wires at intermediate points to prevent lateral deflection thereof, character pattern forming means movable relative to the other ends of said wires to effect selective outward displacement of those print ends forming a particular character pattern, a curved-flexible element connected at one end of said confining means, means attached to the other end of said element for moving it longitudinally from and then back to a normal position, a curved-flexible-channeled member snugly encompassing said element and attached at one end to said confining means supporting means, and means attached to the other end of said member for first moving it endwise from a normal position to straighten the member and thus force the end of the element connected to position generally in*step with the movement of said element other end back to normal position, the movement of the confining means toward said platen stopping short of said platen so that the remainder of the print ends of the group do not undergo impact, the impact of the print ends of the selected wires being such that they rebound to the common plane.

9. In a printer of the type in which a character is formed upon a paper or other recording material by relative movement between a platen supporting such paper or other recording material and the grouped ends of a plurality of print wires upon which a character pattern is formed by selective displacement of such ends from a common plane, a plurality of print wires, means confining one end of said wires into a group in which they are restrained against free endwise movement relative to said confining means, means supporting said confining means for movement toward and away from a platen, guide means engaging said wires at intermediate points to prevent lateral deflection thereof under the influence of longitudinal forces, character pattern forming means movable relative to the other ends of said wires to effect selective displacement of such wires, a curved-flexiblechanneled member attached at one end to said confining means support means, a first member connected to the other end of said channeled member and biased so as to effect an endwise movement of the other end straightening said channeled member, a flexible element extending through said channeled member and connected at one projecting end to said confining means, a second member connected to the other projecting end of said flexible element and biased so as to effect an endwise movement thereof, and cam means for controlling said biased members formed so as to permit the first biased member to move and straighten the channeled member thus forcing the end of said flexible element connected to the confining means out of said channeled member to where the selected print wires undergo impact with the platen and then permit the second biased member to effect endwise movement of the flexible element sufficient to stop and reverse the movement of the confining means before the remainder of the print wires undergo impact with said platen.

10. In a printer of the type in which a character is formed upon a paper or other recording material by relative movement between a platen supporting such paper or other recording material and the grouped ends of a plurality of print wires upon which a character pattern-is formed by selective displacement of such ends from a common plate, a plurality of print wires, means for confining one-end of said wires into a group in which they are restrained against free endwise movement relative to said confining means, means supporting said confining means for movement toward and away from a platen, guide means engaging said wires at intermediate points to prevent lateral deflection thereof under the influence of endwise forces, character pattern forming means movable relative to the other ends of said wires to effect selective displacement of such wires, a curvedflexible-channeled member attached at one end to said confining means supporting means, a first cam follower connected to the other end of said channeled member and biased so as to effect an endwise movement thereof straightening said channeled member, a flexible element extending through said channeled member and connected at one projecting end to said confining means, a second cam follower connected to the other projecting end of said element and biased so as to effect an endwise movement thereof, and cam means disposed in the path of biased movement of said cam followers and so formed as to permit first the first cam follower to move and straighten the channeled member thus forcing the end of said flexible element connected to the confining means out of said channeled member to where the selected print wires undergo impact with the platen and thereabout to permit the second cam follower to effect endwise movement of the flexible element stopping and reversing the movement of the confining means before the remainder of the print wires undergo impact with the platen.

11. In a wire printer, a platen, a plurality of print wires, a print head confining the print ends of said wires into a letter printing cluster in which they are also restrained against free endwise movement relative to said print head, a frame supporting said print head for movement toward and away from said platen, a guide member engaging said print wires at intermediate points to prevent lateral deflection thereof under the influence of endwise forces, a wire setting device operable upon the other end of said plurality of wires to differentially adjust the longitudinal position of said wires so that the print ends of those wires which form the pattern of the desired character project from the cluster, a curved tube connected at one end to said frame, a cam follower connected to the other end of said tube and biased to effect endwise displacement thereof, a wire extending through said tube and connected at one projecting end to said movable print head, a cam follower connected to the other end of said wire and biased to, effect endwise displacement thereof, and cam means for said cam followers operable first to permit biased movement of the tube cam follower straightening said tube and forcing the wire end connected to the print head out of said tube so that the projecting print ends of the wires undergo impact with the platen and thereafter to permit biased movement of the wire cam follower reversing the movement of the print head.

12. In a wire printer, a platen, a plurality of print wires, a print head confining the print ends of said wires into a letter printing cluster in which they are also restrained against free endwise movement, a frame supporting said print head for movement toward and away from said platen, a guide member engaging said wires at intermediate points to prevent lateral deflection thereof under the influence of endwise forces, a wire setting device operable upon the other ends of said wires to effect selective outward displacement of the corresponding print ends from the face of the cluster, a curved wire connected at one end to the print head, a cam follower attached to the other end of said wire and biased so as to effect endwise displacement thereof, a tube snugly receiving said wire and connected at one end to said frame, a cam follower attached to the other end of said tube and biased so as to effect endwise displacement thereof, and cam means for said cam followers operable to restrain that biased movement ofthe wire cam follower which is effective to move'the print head away from the platen until the biased the tube to force the end of the wire connected to the print head out of said tube to where the selected print ends undergo impact with the platen with sufficient force to rebound to their original positions.

13. In a mechanism for moving an object to and from an advanced position, a frame for movably supporting said object, a curved-flexible-channeled member attached at one end to said frame, a flexible element extending through said curved-flexible-channeled member and projecting at said one end for attachment to said object, means connected to the other end of said curved-flexiblechanneled member to move it in a longitudinal direction between a normal position and an advanced position in which the curvature of said curved-flexible-channeled member is reduced, and means connected to the other projecting end of said flexible element to move it ina longitudinal direction from a normal position toward an advanced position after the curve of said member has been partially reduced.

14. In a mechanism for moving an object to and from an advanced position, a frame for movably supporting said object, a curved-flexible-channeled member connected at one end to said frame, a flexible element extending through said curved-flexible-channeled member and projecting at said one end of the member for attachment to said object, means connected to the other projecting end of said flexible element to move it endwise from a normal position to an advanced position, and means connected to the other end of said curved-flexible-channeled member to move it endwise from a normal position toward an advanced position so as to straighten said member before the other projecting end of the flexible element is moved from its normal position.

15. In a mechanism for moving an object to and from an advanced position, a frame for movably supporting said object, a curved tube connected at one endto said frame, a wire extending through said tube and projecting at said one end for attachment to said object, means connected to the other end of said tube to shift it longitudinally between a normal position and an advanced position in which the curve of the tube is reduced, and means connected to the other projecting end of said wire to shift it longitudinally from a normal position to an advanced position in which it bears the same general relation to the other end of the tube that it did when they both were in their normal positions during a period which begins after the other tube end begins movement from its normal position and which terminates after the arrival of the other tube end in the advanced position and from an advanced position back to the normal position substantially in step with the movement of the other end of the tube from its advanced position to its normal position.

16. In a mechanism for moving an object to and from an advanced position, a frame for movably supporting said object, a curved wire adapted to be connected at one end of said object to move it, a similarly curved tube snugly receiving said wire and connected at one end to said frame, means connected to the other end of said wire to shift it longitudinally between a normal position and an advanced position more remote from the advanced position of said object, and means connected to the other end of said tube to shift it longitudinally from a normal position to an advanced position in which the curve of said tube and hence of said wire is reduced during a period which begins before a movement of the other end of the wire from the normal position and which terminates before the arrival of the other end of the wire in its advanced position.

17. In a mechanism for rapidly moving an object to and from an advanced position, a frame for movably supporting said object, a curved tube connected at one end to said frame, a wire extending through said tube and projecting at said one end for attachment to said object, a cam follower connected to the other end of said tube and biased in a direction effecting endwise movement of said other tube end and hence straightening of said tube, a cam follower connected to the other projecting end of said wire and biased in a direction effecting endwise movement thereof, and movable cam means disposed in the paths of biased movement of said cam followers and so formed that the tube cam follower drops off a high point thereof before the wire cam follower does.

18. In a cyclically operated printer of the type in which different characters are successively formed upon a paper or other recording material by repetitive relative movement between a platen supporting such paper or other recording material and the grouped print ends of a plurality of wires upon which different character patterns are formed by selective displacement of such ends from a common plane, a plurality of print wires, means for confining the print ends of said wires into a letter printing group and for restraining them against free longitudinal movement relative to said restraining means, means for moving said restraining means toward and away from the platen so that the selected print wire undergo impact therewith and rebound to their original positions in the letter printing group, guide means engaging said wires at intermediate points to prevent lateral deflection of said wires when their other ends are subjected to axial forces, saidconfining and restraining means being movable relative to the other ends of said wires, and character pattern forming means operable to apply axial forces upon the other ends of said wires to efiect selective displacement of said wire print ends before the next movement of the restraining means toward the platen.

19. In a cyclically operated printer of the type in which different characters are successively formed upon a paperor other recording material by repetitive relative movement between a platen supporting such paper or other recording material and the clustered print ends of a p1u rality of wires upon which different character patterns are formed by selective displacement of such print ends from a common plane, a plurality of print wires, a print head tightly confining the print ends of said wires into a letter printing cluster in which they are also restrained against free longitudinal movement relative to said means, a frame supporting said print head for movement toward and away from the platen, a curved tube connected at one end to said frame, a wire extending through said tube and connected at one projecting end to said print head, a cam having at least one drop off to a low point from a high dwell, a cam follower biased against said cam and connected to the other end of said tube so as to effect endwise displacement thereof when dropping off a high dwell of the cam, a second cam follower biased against said cam and connected to the other end of said wire so as to effect endwise displacement thereof when dropping off a high dwell of the cam, said second cam follower being so located as to drop off a high dwell of the cam after the first cam follower does but before the latter reaches a low point of the cam so that the tube is straightened to force the wire end connected to the print head out of said tube and the print head toward the platen to where the selected print wires undergo impact to cause them to rebound to their original position before the print head is stopped and restored, shiftable character pattern forming means movable to and away from the other ends of said print wires to effect selective displacement of said Wire print ends while the print head is restored, guide mean engaging said wires at intermediate points to prevent lateral deflection thereof and to dispose the other ends of said wire for displacement by said character pattern forming means, and means operable before the character pattern forming means is again moved toward the other ends of the print wires to shift the character pattern forming means so as to selectively displace a different set of print wires.

20. In a mechanism for moving an object to and from an advanced position, a frame for movably supporting said object, a curved-flexible-channeled member attached at one end to said frame, a flexible element in said curvedflexible-channeled member and projecting at one end for attachment to said object, means associated with the other end of said curved-flexible-channeled member for confining the movement of that end to a generally longitudinal direction, means associated with said curved-flexiblechanneled member for reducing the radius of curvature thereof, and means associated with the other end of said flexible element for holding that other end against displacement in a longitudinal direction while said radius of curvature of said curved-flexible-channeled member is being reduced.

21. In a cyclically operated mechanism for repeatedly moving an object to and from an advanced position, a flexible element connectable at one end to said object, means cyclically operable to effect displacement of the other end of said flexible element, and means synchronously operable with said cyclically operable means to vary the curvature of said flexible element while the cycli cally operable means does not effect displacement of the other end of the flexible element.

22. In a cyclically operated mechanism for repeatedly moving an object to and from an advanced position, a flexible element connectable at one end to said object, means cyclically operable upon said flexible element to control the radius of curvature thereof, and means operable after each operation of the cyclically operable means to effect longitudinal movement of said flexible element.

23. In a cyclically operated mechanism for repeatedly moving an object to and from an advanced position, a curved-flexible element connectable at one end to said object, means cyclically operable upon said curved-flexible element at one of its ends to restrain longitudinal movement thereof, means synchronously operable with said cyclically operable means upon said curved-flexible element to reduced the radius of curvature thereof, and means operable after each operation of the synchronously operable means to effect longitudinal movement of said curved flexible element. 1

24. In a mechanism for moving an object to and from an advanced position, a frame for movably supporting said object, a curved-flexible-channeled member attached at one end to one of said frame and object, a flexible element extending through said curved-flexible-channeled 4 member and projecting at said one end for attachment to the other of said frame and object, means connected to the other end of one of said curved-flexible-channeled member and said element to move it in a longitudinal direction between a normal position and an advanced position in which the curvatures of said curved-flexiblechanneled member and said element are reduced, and means connected to the other end of the other said member and said flexible element to move it in a longitudinal direction from a normal position toward an advanced position after the curvatures of said member and said element have been partially reduced.

25. In a mechanism for moving an object to and from an advanced position, a frame for movably supporting said object, a curved-flexible-channeled first element connected at one end to one of said frame and object, a flexible second element extending through said curvedflexible-channeled first element and projecting at said one end of the first element for attachment to the other of said frame and object, means connected to the other end of said element for attachment to said object to move it endwise from a normal position to an advanced position, and means connected to the'other end of said element connected at one end to said frame to move it endwise from a normal position toward an advanced position so as to straighten said frame element before the other end of the object element is moved from its normal position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 77,347 Bean Apr. 28, 1868 91,856 Maurer June 29, 1869 1,028,037 Lilleberg May 28, 1912 1,198,283 Shira Sept. 12, 1916 2,129,065 Loop Sept. 6, 1938 2,353,083 Roth July 4, 1944 2,524,127 Johnson Oct. 3, 1950 2,632,386 Hyland Mar. 24, 1953 2,648,277 Wockenfuss Aug. 11, 1953 2,653,534 Wockenfuss Sept. 29, 1953 2,681,614 Rast June 22, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 45,032 Austria Nov. 25, 1910 702,348 Germany Feb. 5, 1941 248,133 Switzerland Sept. 16, 1947 

